1.4 Art through the eyes of 8-bit
In the 1970’s, a new era of computing erupted when the first 8-bit processors were introduced. In 1972 it all started with the first 8-bit processor called the Intel 8008, but in 1974 when the Intel 8080 was introduced, the computing industry started to expand dramatically. The reason why this was the case is because 8-bit computing created a stream of new possibilities that could be introduced to Personal Computers. It led to the creation of revolutionary products such as the Apple II, which brought the Personal Computers from businesses to the homes of many consumers.
One of the things that 8bit processing empowered was the ability to produce 256 different colors on a screen. With this, suddenly a lot more was possible to create. Quickly after the release of 8-bit computing, gaming saw a gradual uplift too. Iconic games such as Space Invaders (1978) and Pacman (1980) were an early glimpse of the endless possibilities in the field of games. Another significant realization caused by 8-bit processing are Graphical User Interfaces, also known als GUIs. Xerox was the first company that introduced a PC with a GUI in 1981. Quickly after, other companies started to implement this idea as well, which led to the introduction of Macintosh by Apple in 1984, and the first version of Windows by Microsoft in 1985. GUIs quickly became incredibly popular and widely adopted, and from that point onwards, the world never looked back again. Stand still for a moment, and realize that this was only about 40 years ago! Today, Microsoft and Apple are two of the biggest companies in the world, and moreover unmissable factors in the world of computing.
To pay tribute to this groundbreaking technology, I decided to combine the power of 8-bit imagery with a passion that I have, namely art. Art can be a huge inspiration for people, as well as giving the ability to create conversations among people. My project is based on (famous) paintings, which are converted into an 8-bit style image. The website visitor can fill in a questionnaire, which tests their knowledge about art pieces. A score is given at the end of the test. The images were found via the search engine Google, then they were transformed into 8-bit style images and then a Google Form was created.
GIMP was used to create the images by using a grid and pixelize filter for pixelated effect and a few filters for the color transformation.
I hope you enjoy it!
This is the link to the Google form: